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Red Cross apologizes to tainted blood victims	31/05/05
Trust in politicians, other leaders slipping: poll	30/05/05
Crew safe as fire destroys boat off Nfld.	29/05/05
Justin Trudeau to wed in Montreal	28/05/05
Alberta child killer to be sentenced	27/05/05
Flooding prompts state of emergency on N.S. south shore	26/05/05
Singer reveals she was sexually abused by Quebec producer	25/05/05
All eyes on crucial Labrador byelection	24/05/05
Karzai strikes out with Bush	23/05/05
Afghan president wants more control over U.S. forces	22/05/05
Police identify workers killed in tractor-trailer tragedy	21/05/05
PM urges 'co-operation over conflict'	20/05/05
Budget vote could prompt snap election	19/05/05
Belinda Stronach - Newly Liberal	18/05/05
Queen to touch down in Saskatchewan	17/05/05
'Clear consensus' election needed: MP	16/05/05
Independent MP cancels chat with health minister	15/05/05
Breast cancer treatment hailed as 'breakthrough'	14/05/05
Liberal sought RCMP protection before sponsorship testimony	13/05/05
Michael Jackson never molested me: Culkin	12/05/05
Liberals won't quit despite losing vote	11/05/05
4 leaders strike $1B deal to help veterans	10/05/05
Ontario rubella outbreak includes vaccinated man	09/05/05
Ottawa adds 6th Canadian to tsunami death toll	08/05/05
PMO Met Over Illicit Fundraising Suspicions, Gomery Told	07/05/05
Tony Blair wins historic 3rd term	06/05/05
Guité alleges Martin link to scandal	05/05/05
'I thought I was dead,' says bear attack victim	04/05/05
Lawyers, police meet to plan Homolka strategy	03/05/05
Liberals pull minister home from Europe	02/05/05
N.S. tries a smart way to limit gambling	01/05/05

Red Cross apologizes to tainted blood victims Web Posted | Last Updated Tue, 31 May 2005 06:21:00 EDT Giant Dwarf Posted: May 31st, 2005 Addressing decades of anger and frustration, the Canadian Red Cross Society has been fined and issued an apology for infecting thousands of Canadians with blood tainted by HIV and hepatitis C. The Red Cross pleaded guilty Monday, to violating the Food and Drug Regulation Act by distributing tainted blood products between 1983 and 1990.	Red Cross secretary-general Dr. Pierre Duplessis
As a result of the guilty plea and public apology, the defence and Crown lawyers agreed the Red Cross should pay a $5,000 fine and make a $1.5-million payment to the University of Ottawa for research and scholarships for family members of those affected. The judge accepted the lawyers' submissions, but won't formally deliver his sentence until June 30, by which time he will have consulted with victims and their families.
Regardless of how the judge rules, what many victims had been waiting for was an apology from the national blood agency -- and today they got to hear that via a video statement played in the Hamilton court. "Canadian Red Cross Society is deeply sorry for the injury and death . . . for the suffering caused to families and loved ones of those who were harmed,'' said Red Cross secretary-general Dr. Pierre Duplessis. "We accept responsibility through our plea for having distributed harmful products for those that rely on us for their health.''	John Plater contracted both HIV and hepatitis C from tainted blood in the 1980s.
Watching the videotaped message, John Plater -- who contracted both HIV and hepatitis C from tainted blood in the 1980s -- said the admission has been a long time coming. "For the first time in this country, there's been an admission that laws were broken and that breaking those laws led to the tainted blood tragedy," the 37-year old lawyer and member of the Canadian Hemophilia Society told CTV News. More than 1,000 Canadians contracted blood-borne HIV, and as many as 20,000 contracted hepatitis C after receiving blood not screened by widely available, but unimplemented screening measures. Hepatitis C suffered Mike McCarthy had been waiting in hope of hearing such an apology for more than two decades. When he finally heard it Monday, years of emotion bubbled to the surface. "It was a tearful moment," he explained. "I think what ran through my head was the lost friends, the lost family ... it would have been nice for them to be by my side -- to have heard that verdict as well." The charity was charged in 2002 after thousands became infected with HIV and hepatitis C during the 1980s and early '90s from tainted-blood transfusions. Crown Attorney John Ayre said the sentence was reasonable given that the Red Cross is no longer involved in the collection and distribution of blood. That is now the responsibility of the Canadian Blood Services. "The apology is as complete as one could contemplate. The Red Cross has now said it is sorry and responsible for its actions,'' Ayre said. Dr. Roger Perrault, who was the Red Cross's director of blood transfusion until 1986, is still facing three counts of criminal negligence causing bodily harm and seven counts of common nuisance by endangering the public. Perrault's lawyers told a Toronto court earlier this year that their client is too ill to face charges. They say he has an undisclosed, long-standing heart condition. As many as 20,000 Canadians contracted hepatitis C and more than 1,000 became infected with HIV after receiving tainted blood products in what became of the worst public health disasters in Canadian history. At last count in 1997, about 3,000 of those infected had died, but recent estimates are not available. The Red Cross had been facing Criminal Code charges that, if convicted, could have seen the charity hit with an unlimited fine. By pleading guilty to a Food and Drug Act infraction instead, the fine was capped at $5,000. According to Ayre, on its own that sum would be "woefully inadequate," but the fact that the additional commitment of $1.5 million is not going to legal fees or the federal coffers is significant. "It went to two projects both of which will lead to long life and benefit of Canadians." Written by CTV.ca News Staff - With files from CTV News and The Canadian Press
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Trust in politicians, other leaders slipping: poll Web Posted | Last Updated Mon, 30 May 2005 08:08:47 EDT Giant Dwarf Posted: May 30th, 2005
TORONTO - Canadians have grown increasingly dissatisfied with all politicians, with nearly two-thirds saying they have little or no trust in their political leaders, according to an Environics poll commissioned by the CBC. Although trust in politicians continues to deteriorate, confidence in business and religious leaders has also dropped. But the poll suggests that Canadians are directing most of their dissatisfaction at all politicians. Of those surveyed, 65 per cent said they have little or no confidence in Canada's political leaders. That's up seven percentage points from a similar survey in 2004. Asked which party would be best suited to run a government with honesty and integrity, 17 per cent of those polled picked the Liberals – down five percentage points from the same time last year. The Conservatives came in at 22 per cent – the same level as last year. The NDP, however, was picked by 23 per cent – up four points from last year. But 23 per cent of those polled said none of the parties is best able to run a government with honesty and integrity, an increase of five percentage points from last year. Layton most trusted to return wallet NDP Leader Jack Layton fared best in terms of personal trust. Twenty-seven per cent said he was the political leader most likely to return your wallet if you lost it. Conservative Leader Stephen Harper came second at 19 per cent, followed by Prime Minister Paul Martin (18 per cent) and Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe (eight per cent). But 14 per cent thought none of the leaders would return it. The Liberals suffered their steepest drop when it comes to the party seen as best able to deal with Canada-U.S. relations. Last year, 50 per cent of voters polled chose the Liberals. This year, it was 38 per cent. Support for the Conservatives on this issue rose from 23 per cent to 31 per cent.
Liberals take hit on national unity and Quebec The Liberals also took a significant hit when it comes to dealing with national unity and Quebec. They fell from 46 per cent support in 2004 to 37 per cent this year. The Conservatives climbed five percentage points – but still trail badly at 18 per cent. One glimmer of hope for politicians: 72 per cent of people polled agreed with the statement "You don't really expect that politicians will keep their election promises once they are in power." In 2004, 75 per cent of those asked agreed with that statement. Perhaps even more encouraging for those seeking a career in politics, 54 per cent of those asked agreed that ordinary members of Parliament play an important role in determining government policy. That's up two percentage points from a year earlier. The poll was conducted between May 12 and 16, before the high-profile defection of Belinda Stronach from the Conservatives to the Liberals, before Independent MP Chuck Cadman helped the Liberal minority survive a non-confidence vote and before the Liberals won the byelection in Labrador. Trust in media low; confidence down in political and religious leaders Trust in the media remained low. One in three people polled said they had little or no confidence in the media – unchanged from a year earlier. Only 11 per cent had a great deal of confidence in what the media had to say. Political scientist Joyce Green said much of what the media report feeds the distrust the public has for politicians. "As the media gives us simplistic stories about complex issues, we're going to have a public that thinks simplistic and ultimately cynical about engaging in the public process," Green told CBC News. But confidence in business and religious leaders has also taken a hit. Thirty-six per cent of those asked said they had little or no confidence in business leaders – a drop of two percentage points from a year earlier. When it comes to religious leaders, 40 per cent said they had little or no confidence. That's down three percentage points from 2004. A total of 1,500 people were surveyed for the poll. Results are considered accurate to within 2.6 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. Written by CBC News Online staff
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Crew safe as fire destroys boat off Nfld. Web Posted | Last Updated Sun, 29 May 2005 13:54:15 EDT Giant Dwarf Posted: May 29th, 2005
ST. JOHN'S, NFLD. - Seven people are safe after abandoning their burning boat about 200 kilometres from St. John's. The 20-metre boat, Mackenzie's Dream, was fishing shrimp 200 kilometres off St. John's when it caught fire Saturday afternoon.
The five men and two women were able to put on survival suits and get into two liferafts. They used an emergency beacon to send for help. They spent about two and a half hours in the rafts before the Coast Guard ship Sir Wilfred Grenfell rescued them and brought them to St. John's Sunday morning. "We had very little time. As soon as we detected the smoke, the whole boat itself from the wheelhouse area went into flames, complete with all the electronics," said the captain, Edwin Noonan. The crew suffered cuts and bruises and mild hypothermia, but are otherwise in good condition and back home with family in Bay de Verde. Noonan's wife and daughter were on board with him, along with his two sons and a nephew. "I'm relieved that there's no loss of life," said Edwin. "I'm very upset that the boat is gone. I was quite proud of it."	Mackenzie's Dream Edwrin Noonan's wife, Anne, and daughter, Melinda, after their rescue
His boat burned right to the waterline, but the Coast Guard hasn't been able to confirm yet if it has sunk. Written by CBC News Online staff
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Justin Trudeau to wed in Montreal Web Posted | Last Updated Sat, 28 May 2005 09:28:28 EDT Giant Dwarf Posted: May 28th, 2005
MONTREAL - Justin Trudeau, eldest son of former prime minister Pierre Trudeau, will get married Saturday in a ceremony that an organizer says will be chic and sophisticated.
Trudeau, 32, and 29-year-old TV host Sophie Grégoire will walk down the aisle at Sainte-Madeleine d'Outremont, a Romanesque-style stone church noted for its beautiful stained glass. The reception will be held at a hotel in Old Montreal. Up to 170 guests will attend a dinner surrounded by a colourful decor. "They've used a little bit of a Moroccan kind of style with all the warm colours that you find," said friend and restaurateur Annick Belanger. "There's going to be lots of oranges, yellows and reds and gold, and all these warm colours." Grégoire's dress is from Les Noces Couture, an exclusive shop in Montreal. "We designed what we thought would be the most dramatic gown for her," said designer Nancy Wajsmann. "I feel protective of her," she added, as she declined to reveal any other details.	Justin Trudeau & Sophie Grégoire Sainte-Madeleine d'Outremont
While the couple have done their best to keep some things secret, Trudeau has given one exclusive interview to a gossip magazine, 7 Jours, Quebec's answer to People. He has also signed deals for their wedding photos to appear in that magazine, as well as Macleans. The couple met at a Canadian Grand Prix event, which both were hosting two years ago. Written by CBC News Online staff
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Alberta child killer to be sentenced Web Posted | Last Updated Fri, 27 May 2005 12:19:28 EDT Giant Dwarf Posted: May 27th, 2005
EDMONTON - The family of six-year-old Corrine (Punky) Gustavson are reading victim impact statements to a judge in Edmonton before he sentences the young girl's killer. Clifford Sleigh, who was found guilty this week of first degree murder, kidnapping and aggravated sexual assault, will automatically receive a life sentence with no chance of parole for 25 years.
But the judge is listening to the victim impact statements before deciding whether to extend parole eligibility. Eleven jurors deliberated for about 11 hours before deciding that the 42-year-old Sleigh was guilty of all three charges. They were never told that Sleigh had two previous convictions for sexually assaulting young girls. At the start of the trial, Sleigh admitted to abducting and sexually assaulting Punky. He tried to plead guilty to manslaughter but the Crown rejected the plea. Punky disappeared from her north Edmonton yard on Sept. 6, 1992. Her body was found two days later in a truck yard. She had been sexually assaulted and, according to the medical examiner, smothered. Punky had been playing in the yard with a friend when Sleigh drove by. Court heard that Sleigh, who was angry at his common-law wife, headed out to find a girl he knew "to rape." Unable to find her, he spotted Punky and grabbed her because she was the child closest to the fence. Sleigh was charged in 2003 with first-degree murder, kidnapping and aggravated sexual assault, after police obtained a DNA sample from him.	Clifford Sleigh Corrine (Punky) Gustavson
Sleigh has maintained Punky was alive when he left her. Police had considered him a suspect early in the investigation, and said his baseball cleats matched prints where Punky's body had been found. But his then-common-law wife and friends said he had been with them the entire Labour Day weekend when the girl disappeared. Written by CBC News Online staff
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Flooding prompts state of emergency on N.S. south shore Web Posted | Last Updated Thu, 26 May 2005 08:13:33 EDT Giant Dwarf Posted: May 26th, 2005
BRIDGEWATER, N.S. - Up to 75 millimetres of rain is expected to dump on parts of Nova Scotia Thursday as heavy rains and floods have already forced officials to declare a state of local emergency in Lunenburg County. About 60 homes have been evacuated in the area, located about 90 kilometres southwest of Halifax, after more than 160 millimetres of rain fell over the weekend. Another 40 millimetres has fallen since Wednesday. Nova Scotia Premier John Hamm is expected to travel to the area Thursday to assess the damage. Hamm expects the flood damage to roads and bridges alone may top $1 million. But he has said he won't talk about compensation until he gets a more accurate assessment. Damage costs may be high enough to trigger a call to Ottawa for emergency help, he said. Federal assistance is possible at the $1 million mark. More rain is forecast for the flooded areas. In parts of Nova Scotia, 248 millimetres of rain has fallen so far this month, more than double the monthly average. Written by CBC News Online staff	Hebbville, N.S. Lunenburg, N.S.
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Singer reveals she was sexually abused by Quebec producer Web Posted | Last Updated Wed, 25 May 2005 07:59:55 EDT Giant Dwarf Posted: May 25th, 2005
QUEBEC CITY - Former child star Nathalie Simard has revealed that she was the sexual-abuse victim of Quebec entertainment giant Guy Cloutier, the producer that discovered her. Justice Maurice Laramée lifted a publication ban Tuesday that had prevented Simard, 35, from being identified as one of Cloutier's victims. Simard appeared in court to ask the judge to lift the ban. Laramée said it didn't make sense to impose protection on the identity of someone who no longer wanted it. Simard, the sister of singing star René Simard, was an 11-year-old child when she was assaulted by Cloutier over several years. Cloutier pleaded guilty to abusing two children and was sentenced to 42 months in prison last December. The other child's identity has not been revealed. Simard had not entered puberty when Cloutier began assaulting her, court heard. She later described the intercourse as painful, humiliating and shameful. Over the years, Cloutier said he felt remorse and gave the victim $1 million in cash and goods. Upon sentencing, Judge Robert Sansfacon said Cloutier suffers from perverted sexual desires and is somewhat narcissistic. Cloutier pleaded guilty on Nov. 17, 2004 to charges relating to incidents which date as far back as 1978. Cloutier is one of the biggest producers in the history of Quebec television and music. His big break came when he discovered the Simard siblings in the 1970s. The lifting of the publication ban on Simard's identity follows a similar ruling last year by the Quebec Superior Court in the case of former boxer Dave Hilton. In that ruling, Hilton's daughters won the right to publicly identify themselves as the victims of sexual assault and incest. Written by CBC News Online staff
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All eyes on crucial Labrador byelection Web Posted | Last Updated Tue, 24 May 2005 08:39:56 EDT Giant Dwarf Posted: May 24th, 2005
HAPPY VALLEY-GOOSE BAY, NFLD. - Labrador voters go to the polls Tuesday in a crucial byelection that could tip the balance of power in the House of Commons. Paul Martin's Liberals are hoping to recapture the riding and add one more seat to their minority government, especially in the wake of last Thursday's razor-thin one vote victory over the budget bill.
For the Conservatives, another seat will make it easier to defeat the government. Former Liberal MP Lawrence O'Brien, who died last year, won the seat by a large majority in the 2004 election. The Conservatives pulled in nearly 16 per cent of the votes while the NDP candidate took about 10 per cent. The importance of the byelection has attracted a number of political heavyweights to the riding. Over the holiday weekend, former Tory turned Liberal cabinet minister Belinda Stronach and two other ministers were beating the drum for Liberal hopeful Todd Russell. Conservative Leader Stephen Harper and deputy leader Peter MacKay made their rounds for Tory candidate Graham Letto. The Tories have been campaigning hard, but pulling off a win in Labrador will be a stunning upset. The party has been unable to defeat Liberal candidates there since 1968. The Conservatives have been concentrating on the fallout from declining activity at 5 Wing Goose Bay, where foreign military training has dramatically dropped in recent years. Last week, the Conservatives pledged to station 650 paratroopers in Labrador. On Friday, Defence Minister Bill Graham fired back, promising a new training exercise based at Canadian Forces Base Goose Bay next year. Graham says the Canadian Forces will invite foreign air forces to conduct nighttime training over Labrador.	Liberal candidate Todd Russell campaigns in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Monday. Conservative candidate Graham Letto.
There are three candidates, other than Letto and Russell. Ern Condon is Independent, Jason Crummey represents the Green Party, and Frances Fry is the NDP candidate. Written by CBC News Online staff
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Karzai strikes out with Bush Web Posted | Last Updated Mon, 23 May 2005 13:36:03 EDT Giant Dwarf Posted: May 23rd, 2005
WASHINGTON - There was little movement on a series of issues between the United States and Afghanistan during a meeting in Washington, comments by the leaders of the two countries indicated on Monday. Before his meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said he wanted more say in the relationship, including control over U.S. forces and improvements for Afghan prisoners in U.S. custody. On the U.S. side, a leaked diplomatic cable said the government was concerned about Karzai's failure to cut back the poppy crops used to make opium. At a media briefing after the private meeting, Bush rejected two key Karzai demands, while the Afghan leader said he hoped the poppy crop could be wiped out, but it would take six years. Bush said "of course" U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan will remain under U.S. command, and Afghan prisoners it holds will be released "over time." Karzai, who had earlier condemned the treatment of Afghan prisoners and demanded "very, very strong" action by the United States, on Monday said "we are of course sad about [the treatment of prisoners]." Bush said, "we will consult with Afghanistan if it perceives its territorial integrity, independence or security is at risk." Bush also said he made it "very clear" to Karzai that the poppy crop must be eradicated. The president praised Karzai, who was democratically elected and has backed the fight against the Taliban and insurgents. The two countries signed a "strategic partnership" that entails exchanges on common issues. "It's important for the Afghan people to understand we have a strategic vision for Afghanistan," Bush said. Written by CBC News Online staff
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Afghan president wants more control over U.S. forces Web Posted | Last Updated Sat, 21 May 2005 23:44:07 EDT Giant Dwarf Posted: May 22nd, 2005 KABUL - Afghan President Hamid Karzai is expected to push for more control over U.S. forces in his country when he meets U.S. President George W. Bush. Karzai took off for Washington late Saturday after telling reporters he was upset by a report Friday in the New York Times that prisoners had been abused while in U.S. military custody in Afghanistan. "It has shocked me thoroughly and we condemn it," he said.	Hamid Karzai talks to reporters Saturday.
Karzai said he wants: - The U.S. to hand over Afghan prisoners. - More influence over nearly 17,000 U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan. - The U.S. to stop searches of Afghan homes without his government's permission. Karzai has described the torture allegations as an offence against humanity, and demanded "very, very strong" action by the United States against any military personnel who abuse prisoners. "It has shocked me thoroughly and we condemn it," he said. Last week, violent anti-U.S. protests followed reports – later retracted – that American guards at Guantanamo Bay had desecrated the Qur'an. Now a 2,000-page confidential report detailing extensive abuse of Afghan prisoners kept at the Bagram airbase near Kabul has been cited in the Times. The investigation into the deaths of two inmates in 2002 revealed other sustained cruelties such as prolonged beatings and chainings of prisoners to walls. The U.S. military, responding to the allegations, defended its treatment of detainees, saying it would not tolerate maltreatment. In his weekly radio address, U.S. President George W. Bush hailed the progress he says is being made in Iraq and Afghanistan to establish democracy in those countries. Bush did not address the allegations of abuse. The United States leads a foreign force in Afghanistan of about 18,300, most of them American, fighting Taliban insurgents and looking for militant leaders, including al-Qaeda head Osama bin Laden. Written by CBC News Online staff
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Police identify workers killed in tractor-trailer tragedy Web Posted | Last Updated Sat, 21 May 2005 10:36:56 EDT Giant Dwarf Posted: May 21st, 2005 EDMONTON - The RCMP has released the names of four oilsands workers who were killed in a deadly bus crash north of Edmonton that sent some passengers flying through the windshield and windows. Three of the men are from Edmonton: William Carl Ingram, 53, John Daniel Hernon, 54, and Steve Raymond Wallis, 42. The fourth, 56-year-old Stephen Joseph Batherson, is from North Sydney, Nova Scotia.	The accident happened early Friday.
The RCMP says all four had been standing outside the bus and died at the scene. They were contract workers with Syncrude in Fort McMurray. A total of 23 people, all oilsands workers returning from their jobs, were taken to hospital, some of them in critical condition, when a truck struck a bus being used to carry oil workers near the town of Gibbons, about 33 kilometres north of Edmonton. The bus was carrying 43 people. The deadly crash caught the attention of the Queen, who said she was shocked to hear of the accident. "Prince Philip joins me in sending our heartfelt sympathy to the families of those who have lost their lives and our thoughts and prayers are with those recovering in hospital," the Queen said in a statement. She made the comments Friday as she continues her visit to Saskatchewan and Alberta. Emergency workers raced to the scene of the accident, which is along the main highway from Fort McMurray to Edmonton. The accident happened shortly before 1 a.m. local time while traffic was backed up because of another accident, said RCMP Const. Laurel Kading. The driver of the commercial bus, a woman in her 50s who had been driving buses for about five years, pulled out to get around traffic. Kading said when the driver tried to turn the bus around, the bus became stuck perpendicular to the highway. A number of passengers got out of the bus to wait and were standing around outside when the bus was broadsided by a tractor-trailer truck, said police. The impact caused the bus to swing around and strike the people waiting outside, killing four of them.
The truck driver and a passenger were also injured in the crash. A number of other passengers still on the bus were injured when they were thrown through the windshield, Kading said. Tim Longridge said he was talking to his wife on her cellphone as she was on the bus. "I was talking to Linda on the phone and apparently a truck was approaching them at a fast speed, there was some commotion," said Longridge.	The tractor trailer truck.
"There seemed to be a confusion, a lot of people talking and we got cut off. That's apparently when the truck hit them." His wife suffered a broken pelvis, broken leg and internal bleeding. She's recovering in hospital. Written by CBC News Online staff
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PM urges 'co-operation over conflict' Web Posted | Last Updated Fri, 20 May 2005 08:04:36 EDT Giant Dwarf Posted: May 20th, 2005
OTTAWA - Prime Minister Paul Martin says he hopes Parliament can get back to work in a "spirit of co-operation" now that the government has survived two confidence votes. With the support of Independent MP Chuck Cadman and the tie-breaking vote cast by Speaker of the House Peter Millikin, the House of Commons on Thursday voted for Bill C-48, a budget amendment that adds $4.6 billion in social spending and delays corporate tax cuts. If the Liberals had lost either vote, the prime minister would have called for the dissolution of Parliament and Canadians would have faced an election. Minutes after Thursday afternoon's dramatic showdown, the prime minister rose in the House of Commons to suggest MPs "move forward now in a spirit of co-operation." Martin asked Conservative Leader Stephen Harper for a "renewed effort" to help Parliament return to the business of governing Canadians.
Harper hinted his party may not try to bring down the government in the immediate future, but said an election was inevitable as Liberal actions to win the vote would "sow the seeds of its own destruction." "It has shown now, more than ever, the necessity of a strong, united, and principled opposition dedicated to replacing this government," Harper told his caucus. A number of public opinion polls had suggested Canadians did not want to hold a federal election just a year after the last one. Former Alliance MP Cadman, who said he's a Conservative at heart, said he voted with the Liberals because his constituents didn't want an election. "I'd like to see everybody get back to work," said Cadman, who travelled to Ottawa for the vote in the midst of chemotherapy treatments for cancer. Addressing Liberal caucus members, the prime minister said it was time for a return to civility in the House. "Tonight we stood up for a balanced budget. Tonight we saw the value of co-operation over conflict. Tomorrow we begin to put tonight's vote into effect," said Martin. After a week-long break, MPs will return to a parliamentary session that likely won't last beyond January 2006. Martin has promised to call an election 30 days after the release of Justice John Gomery's report into the sponsorship scandal. Written by CBC News Online staff
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Budget vote could prompt snap election Web Posted | Last Updated Thu, 19 May 2005 08:08:38 EDT Giant Dwarf Posted: May 19th, 2005
OTTAWA - Paul Martin's minority government faces a confidence vote late Thursday afternoon that has the potential to push the Liberals out of power, after one of the wildest weeks Ottawa has seen in years. Starting at about 5:45 p.m. EDT, members of Parliament will vote on a budget amendment that adds $4.6 billion in social program spending and delays corporate tax cuts. The amendment is the result of a deal between the Liberals and the New Democratic Party to make it more likely that the divided House of Commons will approve the nation's 2005 budget. If the amendment fails, Martin will ask the Governor General to dissolve Parliament and call a general election likely for the end of June. The Liberal-NDP coalition has 151 voting MPs – exactly the same number as a Conservative-Bloc Québécois coalition. (Conservative MP Darrel Stinson is recovering from cancer surgery he had Wednesday, so Liberal cabinet minister John Efford, whose diabetes is worsening, has also agreed to sit out the vote.) The two sides were not tied before Tuesday morning, when former Conservative leadership candidate Belinda Stronach stunned her party by crossing the floor to join the Liberals. Speaker Peter Milliken, elected as a Liberal MP, votes only in the case of a tie. There is one vacancy in the 308-seat House of Commons because the Liberal MP from Labrador, Lawrence O'Brien, died in office last December. That means the final verdict on Martin's year-old government will depend on how three Independent MPs vote. Former Liberal Carolyn Parrish has said she will vote with the party she left late last year after making disparaging statements about both Martin and the United States government. Of the other two, B.C. MP Chuck Cadman, a former Conservative, has suggested he's leaning toward supporting the Liberals because his constituents don't want an election only a year after the last one.
Alberta MP David Kilgour, who has represented both the Progressive Conservatives and the Liberals during his 35-year career in Parliament may be leaning toward voting with the Conservatives. He said Wednesday that he was disgusted by Stronach's defection, as well as Martin's decision to reward her with a cabinet seat. Kilgour is also disillusioned by revelations about Liberal behaviour in the sponsorship scandal and what he sees as Canada's inadequate help for Sudan's troubled Darfur region. The day before the vote, Parliament was disrupted by the sudden illness of Liberal MP Jim Karygiannis, who suffered chest pains during the afteroon question period and had to be rushed to hospital. He later declared that he was feeling fine after receiving treatment for heartburn. In another startling twist late Wednesday, Conservative MP Gurmant Grewal said the Liberals had offered to reward him and his wife, fellow British Columbia MP Nina Grewal, in return for abstaining from the budget amendment vote. Liberal Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh quickly denied that claim, saying Gurmant Grewal made several approaches to the Liberals seeking plum positions in return for crossing the floor. Adding to the suspense about Thursday's vote, two Conservative MPs from Newfoundland and Labrador are under pressure from their constituents and the province's Conservative premier, Danny Williams, to make sure the budget bill passes without delay. That's because the Atlantic accord, which gives both Newfoundland and Nova Scotia billions more in offshore oil revenues, is included in the omnibus bill. At the beginning of this week, Conservative Leader Stephen Harper was still vowing to join with the Bloc to defeat both the main budget bill and the amendment including the NDP inducements. He backed off a little on Tuesday night, saying the Conservatives would support the main budget bill because the party wanted to signal its support for the Atlantic Accord, but would still try to defeat the government on the amendment. Harper made that announcement flanked by his two Newfoundland MPs, Loyola Hearn and Norm Doyle. Written by CBC News Online staff
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Belinda Stronach - Newly Liberal Web Posted | Last Updated Tue, 17 May 2005 11:55:00 EDT Giant Dwarf Posted: May 18th, 2005 Belinda Stronach finished second in the 2004 race for the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada. But she came first in the plan to keep Paul Martin's minority government in office for a while longer. Stronach, formerly the Conservative MP for the riding of Newmarket-Aurora - just north of Toronto - used to be the international trade critic for the official Opposition and member of the House of Commons standing committee on foreign affairs and international trade. Now that she has crossed the floor, she'll represent the riding for the Liberals.	Paul Martin welcomes Belinda Stronach into the Liberal Party.
"I cannot exaggerate how hard this was for me," Stronach told a news conference announcing her move to the Liberal caucus - and cabinet. "The country must come first." Martin named Stronach human resources minister and put her in charge of seeing that the recommendations of the report of the Gomery inquiry are implemented. Two weeks earlier, Stronach warned that defeating the federal budget in the confidence vote scheduled for Thursday, May 19, might be a bad move that could backfire on the Conservatives. She said critical portions of the budget - especially the billions promised for municipal infrastructure - were extremely important to her riding and other constituencies in the area. "I've been uncomfortable for some time with the direction the Conservative party was taking," Stronach said. "I regret to say that I do not believe the party leader is truly sensitive to the needs of each part of the country and just how big and complex Canada really is." Stronach also disagreed with the Conservative Party's stand on same-sex marriage and was growing uncomfortable with Harper's decision to work with the Bloc Quebecois to bring down the government. Stronach and Martin sealed the deal over dinner the night before. Stronach said they found that on critical questions of policy and politics, the two have much in common. "We both believe in a strong economic and fiscal program. We both believe in the need to equip our people with the skills to compete anywhere with anyone. And we both believe in the Gomery commission." For his part, Conservative Leader Stephen Harper said he feels devastated and betrayed, but he was not surprised by Stronach's defection. Harper added that he was glad Stronach made the move before and not during an election campaign.
"There's no grand principle involved in this decision, just ambition…I told my wife only a few days ago that I thought it had become obvious to Belinda that her leadership ambitions would not be reached in this party regardless of whether or not we won the next election." Harper added that Stronach didn't speak to him about her decision until just before the announcement. "Belinda called me moments before her press conference with the prime minister," Harper told reporters. "But I had found out earlier from Peter McKay." McKay and Stronach have been romantically involved for the past several months. Stronach refused to answer questions about how McKay reacted to her decision. Harper suggested that it may affect her relationship with McKay. Stronach is the former president and CEO of Magna International Inc., one of the largest auto parts suppliers in the world. She guided the company to record sales and profits in her two years on the job. Stronach is also a member of the dean's council at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University and the dean's advisory council at the Joseph L. Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. She was instrumental in the movement to unite the Reform and the Progressive Conservative parties - and in the fall of 2003, rumours grew that she would run for the party's leadership with the backing of Conservative heavyweights such as former prime minister Brian Mulroney and former Ontario premier Bill Davis. She made it official on Jan. 20, 2004, when she officially entered the race. Stronach also announced she would seek the party's nomination in her hometown riding of Newmarket-Aurora. She won that hotly contested race by only 689 votes. Belinda Stronach was not the first in her family to dabble in politics. Her father - Magna founder Frank Stronach - ran for the Liberals in the riding of York-Simcoe in 1988. He lost to the Progressive Conservative candidate.
Belinda Stronach timeline: 1966: Belinda Stronach is born. 1985: Drops out of York University's business school after one year. 1988: Becomes a member of the board of directors of Magna International, the auto-parts giant started by her father. 1990: Marries Magna executive Donald Walker. The couple would later have two children. 1995: Divorces Walker. Becomes a vice-president at Magna. 1999: Becomes an executive vice-president at Magna. Marries Norwegian speedskating champion Johann Olav Koss at a ski resort in Colorado on New Year's Eve. 2001: Replaces her ex-husband as CEO of Magna. Meets and becomes friends with former U.S. president Bill Clinton at a charity golf event. 2002: Fortune magazine places Stronach at No. 2 on its ranking of the most powerful women in business outside of the U.S. 2003: Divorces Koss. Plays a role in the backroom deals to form the Conservative Party of Canada. 2004: Comes second in race for Conservative Party of Canada leader; wins in a close race to represent the riding of Newmarket-Aurora. May 17, 2005: Prime Minister Paul Martin announces that Belinda Stronach has joined the Liberals as the new human resources minister. Written by CBC News Online staff
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Queen to touch down in Saskatchewan Web Posted | Last Updated Tue, 17 May 2005 06:02:39 EDT Giant Dwarf Posted: May 17th, 2005
REGINA - The Queen will arrive in Regina late Tuesday afternoon to begin an official visit to Canada designed to help Alberta and Saskatchewan celebrate their centennials as Canadian provinces. After reading the British Speech from the Throne in London, the Queen is scheduled to fly across the Atlantic and land in Saskatchewan at 4:30 p.m. local time, or 6:30 p.m. EDT. The 79-year-old monarch will be accompanied on the eight-day visit by her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh. Preparations in the small town of Lumsden, Sask., included last-minute rehearsals for the high school band and some young participants. A high state of readiness can't prevent nightmares, though. "I had this dream that when I was curtseying, I tripped on my feet and I fell," said seven-year-old Emalee Taylor, who will present the Queen with flowers when she arrives. "During my lifetime, it's the biggest thing that's ever happened," said Verne Barber, Lumsden's mayor. Red carpet ready for rolling out Barricades have gone up at the provincial legislature in Regina, and the red carpet is ready and waiting. Even Premier Lorne Calvert is a little nervous, acknowledging that the prospect of hosting the Queen for lunch is daunting for him and his wife. "We're familiar with putting on lunch for two kids, not for members of the Royal Family, " he said. Staff at the Hotel Saskatchewan are also bracing for the high-profile visitor who will stay in their 1,500-square-foot royal suite during her time in Regina, her first trip to Saskatchewan in more than a decade. "There's lots of pressure," said hotel manager Marla Preston. "Lots and lots of pressure." Giles Gobin, the Hotel Saskatchewan's executive pastry chef, just wants to make a good impression. "It's not every day you prepare a meal for the Queen of England," he said. The Queen and Prince Philip will leave Saskatchewan for Alberta on Friday, spending five days there before returning to London on May 25. Written by CBC News Online staff
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'Clear consensus' election needed: MP Web Posted | Last Updated Mon, 16 May 2005 07:25:27 EDT Giant Dwarf Posted: May 16th, 2005 OTTAWA - As Prime Minister Paul Martin prepares to sign another provincial child-care deal Monday, comments from an Independent MP suggest his minority government has just four days to live. David Kilgour, a former Liberal cabinet minister whose vote on a budget motion Thursday could be enough to topple Martin's government, indicated Sunday that he expects an election to be called this week. "There's a clear consensus that Parliament has become dysfunctional, that it's time the people decided who they want to be the government," said Kilgour.	David Kilgour: "It's time the people decided who they want to be the government."
The Alberta politician left the Liberal party in April, upset over the sponsorship scandal and proposed legislation to legalize same-sex marriage. "People say, 'Well, why don't you vote for the government so it can sit longer?' but I haven't met anybody in the last few days that thinks Parliament's going to sit longer than this week," Kilgour said. Kilgour and two other Independent MPs, Carolyn Parrish and Chuck Cadman, would have to vote with the Liberals and NDP to pass three expected budget motions and fend off a non-confidence bid by the Conservatives and Bloc Québécois, who have been demanding an election. Parrish has said she'll vote with the Liberals, her former party, while Cadman has said he will wait for the results of a poll on his B.C. constituents' wishes before deciding how to vote. Meanwhile, Martin will be in Halifax Monday morning to sign the fifth in a series of child-care agreements with provincial governments. Nova Scotia's cabinet approved the $137.3-million deal last week. On Friday, Martin was in St. John's, Nfld., to sign a similar agreement with Newfoundland and Labrador. He has also made child-care agreements with Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario. But the promised money for day-care programs – as well as all the other spending plans contained in the Liberals 2005 budget – may not be coming soon, depending on the result of Thursday's vote in the House of Commons. If the vote on the budget doesn't pass, Parliament will shut down for a general election, possibly on June 27. Written by CBC News Online staff
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Independent MP cancels chat with health minister Web Posted | Last Updated Sun, 15 May 2005 08:51:51 EDT Giant Dwarf Posted: May 15th, 2005
SURREY, B.C. - Independent MP Chuck Cadman says he still doesn't know where his support lies ahead of Thursday's budget vote. He cancelled a meeting with Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh on Saturday, saying the media attention had become too intense. Dosanjh was scheduled to fly to British Columbia to have a talk with Cadman at the MP's house. Cadman, who lives in Surrey, said reporters were lined up down the street, and it wasn't fair to his neighbours. He also said he's doing fine with his cancer battle, but wants to get lots of sleep before flying to Ottawa on Sunday. Cadman has been undergoing treatment for skin cancer and has been unable to attend recent parliamentary proceedings. This week's vote on the federal budget is essentially a confidence vote, and if the Liberals fail, Canadians could be going to the polls. The three Independent MPs have a huge role to play. One of the them is former Liberal MP David Kilgour. He has been at odds with the prime minister over Canada's role in helping the people of Darfur in Sudan. He is weighing that issue among others as factors in how he will vote on Thursday. "I'm going to decide that probably on Tuesday or Wednesday," he told CBC Newsworld. "But I'm going to try to vote based on a whole bunch of issues, including the situation of the beef farmers in my part of the country." Former Liberal MP Carolyn Parrish is the only Independent who has said how she will vote. She's expected to support the Liberals. Written by CBC News Online staff
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Breast cancer treatment hailed as 'breakthrough' Web Posted | Last Updated Fri, 13 May 2005 21:58:45 EDT Giant Dwarf Posted: May 14th, 2005 ORLANDO, FLA. - A new use of an old drug may save the lives of younger women with an aggressive type of breast cancer, according to research hailed as a "major breakthrough." The drug trastuzumab, sold under the name Herceptin, had long been used to lengthen the lives of women with late-stage breast cancer, but it didn't cure them.
But a cancer-fighting conference in Florida heard on Friday that three clinical trials indicate the drug may stop an aggressive form of breast cancer when given early to younger women. Those women that used the drug in combination with chemotherapy had a 52-per-cent decrease in recurrences compared to those who did not, results from two North American trials said. In one of the trials, which included Canadian women, researchers found that four years after diagnosis, 33 per cent of women receiving only chemotherapy had a recurrence of their cancer. For the women who got chemotherapy plus Herceptin, the recurrence rate fell to 15 per cent. "This is a major advance for many thousands of women with breast cancer," said Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach, director of the U.S. National Cancer Institute, which sponsored the trials. "This is a major breakthrough in the management of breast cancer," said Dr. Mark Clemons, an oncologist at Toronto's Sunnybrook Hospital. Drug curbs cancer-fuelling protein A similar study on a global scale confirmed the findings of the North American trials. Almost 5,100 women were enrolled across 39 countries in the study sponsored by Herceptin's makers, the Swiss company Roche. The drug works by attacking cancer cells that produce too much of a protein called HER-2. Approximately 20 to 30 per cent of breast cancers have these type of tumours. They grow faster and are more likely to recur than those that don't produce an excess of the protein. "For women with this type of aggressive breast cancer, the addition of trastuzumab to chemotherapy appears to virtually reverse prognosis from unfavourable to good," said Dr. Edward Romond, lead researcher of the North American trials and professor of oncology at the University of Kentucky. Most of the 3,300 women in the North American trials had breast cancer that had spread to the lymph nodes. They were given the drug soon after diagnosis and monitored for up to five years. "On its own it has some activity, but when given with chemotherapy it seems to enhance the benefit of chemotherapy," Dr. Stephen Chia of the B.C. Cancer Agency told CBC News.
Still much to learn about Herceptin It's estimated that 2,000 women a year in Canada could benefit from the drug. But It will be months and possibly years before they're offered Herceptin for early breast cancer. The findings must first be reviewed and published in a peer-reviewed journal, which is required before a new drug strategy gets government approval. Then Health Canada will have to approve the use.	Dr. Stephen Chia
Then there is the cost. A one-year's prescription of Herceptin would cost $40,000, and that would have to be borne by provincial drug plans. Also, the drug can increase the risk of congestive heart failure. Chia said there's still a lot to learn about how Herceptin works. "On its own, it has some activity but when given with chemotherapy, it seems to enhance the benefit of chemotherapy," Chia said. Written by CBC News Online staff
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Liberal sought RCMP protection before sponsorship testimony Web Posted | Last Updated Fri, 13 May 2005 07:22:02 EDT Giant Dwarf Posted: May 13th, 2005 MONTREAL - A former director general of the Liberal party's Quebec wing says he requested police protection last month before testifying before the sponsorship inquiry. Daniel Dezainde told the inquiry on Thursday that he still fears a former party fundraiser, Joseph Morselli, after a nasty encounter with him four years ago. On Wednesday, Dezainde choked up as he described a meeting he said he had with Morselli shortly after taking over as director general in 2001. He said Morselli flew into a rage when he found out that a friend, Beryl Wajsman, had been fired by Dezainde on allegations of illegal fundraising activities.	Daniel Dezainde, former head of the federal Liberals' Quebec wing, testifies before the Gomery comission in Montreal Thursday, May 12, 2005.
Dezainde said Morselli pointed a finger in his face and said he was declaring "war" against him. Shaken, Dezainde checked insurance policy He was so rattled that he checked his insurance policy and told friends about the incident in case something happened to him, Dezainde said Thursday. He told the commission led by Justice John Gomery that he went to the RCMP three weeks ago to tell them he was going to testify. When Gomery asked him whether that meant he was afraid of possible repercussions, Dezainde replied, "Yes." He said the police told him the best protection would be to tell his story in public. Dezainde didn't call the police at the time, but contacted his boss, Alfonso Gagliano, who was then Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's chief lieutenant in Quebec – and a close friend of Morselli. He said Gagliano advised him not to take the incident too seriously and described Morselli as a hothead. When Morselli dropped out of sight in 2002 after Martin Cauchon replaced Gagliano, Dezainde said his "comfort level" increased.
Dezainde testimony challenged Dezainde also continued Thursday to expand on his testimony from a day earlier, when he alleged: - He was told Morselli was "the real boss" in charge of party fundraising. - He discovered underground, illicit party fundraising going on. - Jacques Corriveau, a long-time Liberal organizer and friend of Chrétien, told him he set up a kickback   system to funnel sponsorship money to the party's Quebec wing. But his allegations were challenged on Thursday. Morselli told a television reporter that he couldn't care less if Dezainde "dropped dead," but denied ever threatening the official. Wajsman told the CBC's French-language service, Radio-Canada, that Dezainde's allegations were an attempt by Paul Martin's struggling minority government to lay the blame for the sponsorship scandal on Chrétien's team. Dezainde worked in Chrétien's office for years before heading to Quebec, but is now press attaché for the minister of the Economic Development Agency, Jacques Saada. Gagliano's lawyer, Pierre Fournier, questioned why Dezainde didn't alert authorities when he found out the alleged illicit funding activities were taking place. He also asked why Dezainde wouldn't have taken action after Corriveau told him that he had set up the kickback scheme. Dezainde had testified that he discussed the matters with his superiors in the party's Quebec wing and at the Prime Minister's Office. He also said he didn't want to take his concerns too far because he feared they would fall into the wrong hands during the heated leadership battle between Chrétien and Martin. Written by CBC News Online staff
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Michael Jackson never molested me: Culkin Web Posted | Last Updated Thu, 12 May 2005 08:12:40 EDT Giant Dwarf Posted: May 12th, 2005
SANTA MARIA, CALIF. - Actor Macaulay Culkin denied that pop star Michael Jackson ever abused him as he took the stand at Jackson's child molestation trial Wednesday. Culkin, who is now 24, made many visits to Jackson's Neverland estate when he was a child star in the 1990s. Testifying for the defence, he said Jackson never touched him inappropriately, as the 46-year-old entertainer has been accused of doing to the 13-year-old boy at the centre of the trial. Like other boys who have testified, Culkin said he slept in Jackson's bed a number of times between the ages of 10 and 14, but said it was simply because he fell asleep in the bedroom. Asked if Jackson could have molested him while he was sleeping, the star of the Home Alone and My Girl movies replied: "I find that unlikely. I think I'd realize that something like that was happening to me." He also said he had never seen Jackson act inappropriately with any child and called the molestation charges "ridiculous." In other developments at the trial Wednesday, Jackson's defence team introduced videotaped outtakes from interviews with Jackson in which he admits to being weird but insists he would never harm children. "I'm not a nut," he said in one clip shown to the jury. "I'm very smart. You can't come this far and be a nut." On Thursday, jurors were expected to see more tape from the interviews, which were done for the documentary Living With Michael Jackson. The tactic allows them to hear from Jackson without the prosecution team being able to cross-examine him. The defence is scheduled to call other celebrity witnesses as the trial continues. Written by CBC News Online staff
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Liberals won't quit despite losing vote Web Posted | Last Updated Wed, 11 May 2005 06:00:22 EDT Giant Dwarf Posted: May 11th, 2005
OTTAWA - The House passed a motion that opposition parties claim should topple the government – but the Liberals have dismissed it as nothing more than a procedural matter. The motion passed by 153 votes to 150 on Tuesday night. All 99 Conservative and 54 Bloc Québécois MPs voted for the motion calling on the public accounts committee "to recommend that the government resign." The NDP and two Independents voted with the Liberals against the motion. Two cabinet ministers, Justice Minister Irwin Cotler and Natural Resources Minister John Efford, were not there for the vote. Liberals have rejected claims by the opposition that this was a confidence vote, saying it is just a set of instructions to a committee, and that the outcome won't affect the government. Following the vote, Conservative Opposition Leader Stephen Harper demanded that Prime Minister Paul Martin call a formal vote of confidence. "I would challenge the prime minister, if he believes he has the constitutional authority, to rise in his place and to call for a vote of confidence," Harper said. Liberal House leader Tony Valeri responded to Harper's challenge, repeating that the vote was not a motion of confidence. The Speaker then ruled Harper's demand out of order. Outside the House, Harper slammed the Liberal's position, saying they are ignoring the democratically expressed will of the House of Commons. Harper said the government does not have the moral, financial or constitutional authority to govern. He criticized Martin's behaviour, saying it "has gone from dithering, to desperate, to dangerous. This is a very serious situation." Harper said his party will take "additional steps" Wednesday to deal with the situation, but provided no details. Despite the Liberal refusal to treat it as a matter of confidence, the Conservatives have previously said they'll come to work as usual and look for other opportunities to force an election. Earlier Tuesday, Valeri announced that the opposition parties will have three days at the end of May during which they can introduce formal non-confidence motions. On those days, the opposition controls the parliamentary agenda. "We're not afraid to be held accountable," Valeri said at a news conference. "There will be legitimate confidence votes." The Liberals have already dismissed a similar motion – involving the finance committee and scheduled to be voted on next week – as a procedural matter and not a matter of confidence. Written by CBC News Online staff
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4 leaders strike $1B deal to help veterans Web Posted | Last Updated Tue, 10 May 2005 08:18:24 EDT Giant Dwarf Posted: May 10th, 2005
OTTAWA - Canada's four federal party leaders used a flight home from Amsterdam to hammer out a $1-billion deal to help young veterans settle back into society once they leave the military. They announced the deal late Monday aboard the federal government jet carrying them back from commemorating the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe. The all-party pact means veterans won't be left hanging if a non-confidence vote brings Prime Minister Paul Martin's minority government to an abrupt end this spring, leading to a general election. Martin, Conservative Leader Stephen Harper, Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe and NDP Leader Jack Layton agreed to have their members push the bill through the Commons this week, with Senate approval following swiftly. The legislation will be of the greatest assistance to soldiers leaving the service who became disabled while acting as peacekeepers, but in all, thousands of veterans with an average age of 36 will be helped each year. The party leaders got together to strike the deal after veterans' groups they met in Europe lobbied them to not let the package die amid this month's political showdowns. Theoretically, Martin's minority Liberal government could fall as early as Tuesday night, depending on the result of a vote introduced by the Conservatives. Written by CBC News Online staff
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Ontario rubella outbreak includes vaccinated man Web Posted | Last Updated Mon, 09 May 2005 13:15:25 EDT Giant Dwarf Posted: May 9th, 2005
LONDON, ONT. - The number of rubella cases in southwestern Ontario continues to grow, including a 32-year-old man in London, Ont., who was vaccinated as a child. There are also fears the outbreak could spread and threaten the fetuses of unvaccinated pregnant women. On Monday, 121 people were confirmed as infected in an area centred around Norwich, about 40 kilometres east of London. Across the country, there are about 30 cases of rubella each year. The 32-year-old man is from Norwich, but attends a private college in London. Rubella – or German measles – is considered a mild viral illness in children. It can cause a rash, a low-grade fever, muscle aches and swollen glands. But rubella in pregnant women, particularly in the first 20 weeks, can lead to birth defects and miscarriage. Immunization cuts the risk of infection by about 95 per cent. "There's up to a 90 per cent chance that that virus will attack the unborn child and leave very devastating damage behind," said Dr. Rosanna Pellizari, Perth County's medical officer of health. Health authorities believe the outbreak started at Rehoboth Christian School in Norwich, where about 60 per cent of students are not vaccinated, most for religious reasons. More than half the school's 561 students have been asked to stay home. In an attempt to contain the illness, the province has also sent all Ontario health-care providers information about the outbreak and the symptoms. It's spread through airborne droplets or direct contact with nasal or throat secretions from an infected person. Health officials say more than 90 per cent of people in Ontario have been immunized against the virus and are not at risk. Written by CBC News Online staff
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Ottawa adds 6th Canadian to tsunami death toll Last Updated Mon, 10 Jan 2005 21:53:06 EST Giant Dwarf Posted: May 8th, 2005
OTTAWA - Foreign Affairs has boosted the number of Canadians confirmed dead in the Asian tsunami disaster to six, with more than 300 others still missing. Officials increased the death toll by one unidentified person at a news conference in Ottawa on Monday. They said the death was in India, but withheld other details at the family's request. Foreign Affairs said the number of Canadians officially listed as missing has plunged to 37, from 146 last week. James Fox, a department spokesman, said Ottawa has "serious" concerns about these people. Another 285 Canadians have yet to be accounted for, but officials warned that it's not clear whether these people were in the affected areas when the Dec. 26 disaster struck. Fox, who heads the department's Southeast Asia bureau, said the fate of some missing Canadians may not be known for months, if ever. The figures have been revised as officials continue to trace people in hard-hit areas of Thailand, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and elsewhere, Fox said. Canadian forensic teams, including RCMP officers and health officials, are helping identify victims in southern Thailand, where many foreign tourists died when an enormous earthquake sent giant waves crashing to shore. Ottawa has refused to release the names of Canadians killed in the tsunami, saying it will respect the privacy rights of the victims and their families. The federal government is also expected to boost its contribution to tsunami relief efforts to $400 million on Monday, CBC News has learned. And Canada's Disaster Assistance Response Team arrived in the Sri Lankan city of Ampara, on Monday, bringing medical supplies, water-purification equipment and food to survivors. Written by CBC News Online staff
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PMO Met Over Illicit Fundraising Suspicions, Gomery Told Web Posted | Last Updated Fri, 06 May 2005 20:14:38 EDT Giant Dwarf Posted: May 7th, 2005
Montreal---Officials from Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's office met with top Liberal party executives in 2001 to discuss cracking down on fundraising activities of two key figures in the sponsorship scandal, the inquiry heard Friday. Michel Béliveau, who was then executive director of the Liberal party's Quebec wing, testified that the meeting concerned allegations that illicit fundraisers were being run by Joseph Morselli and Beryl Wajsman. Morselli was an aide to former public works minister Alfonso Gagliano, and Wajsman was a Liberal worker. Béveau said the meeting was attended by Françoise Patry, president of the Quebec wing; Daniel Dezainde, the director general at the time; and two officials from the Prime Minister's Office – special policy adviser Johanne Sénécal and Percy Downe, Chrétien's chief of staff. Although Béliveau didn't provide a lot of details, he said party officials became concerned that the two individuals were fundraising for the Liberals and not reporting it. Céveau, testifying at the sponsorship inquiry led by Justice John Gomery in Montreal, said people at the meeting decided that "if there were no changes, measures would be taken to solve the problem." Déveau said he was taken aback when shown Morselli's business card, which he said identified Morselli as vice-president of the party's finance committee – a position that doesn't exist. The names of Morselli and Wajsman have come up before. Jean Brault, the former head of ad firm Groupaction, told the inquiry that Morselli had asked him to give a bogus job to Wajsman when he fell out of favour with a top Liberal official. Brault said he was asked to meet Morselli in an Italian restaurant and leave $5,000 in an envelope on the table for Wajsman. Brault testified that when he went to the washroom and returned, the cash was gone. On Thursday, Béliveau admitted he solicited between $250,000 and $300,000 from Jacques Corriveau, a friend of Chrétien, to help the cash-strapped party during the 1997 election campaign. Eéveau said he received between $75,000 and $100,000 cash in an envelope in $20 and $100 bills. But government lawyer Sylvain Lussier challenged Béliveau's story on Friday, saying that if Corriveau had shown up with $100,000 in $20 bills, it would have been far too big a stack to fit in an envelope and would have needed a briefcase. It would only fit in an envelope if it was all in $100 bills, he said. Showing a briefcase and an envelope, both stuffed with photocopies of $20 bills, he asked Béliveau to make an effort to remember how the money was carried. Féveau replied: "It was an envelope, but one that was pretty thick." Written by CBC News Online staff
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Tony Blair wins historic 3rd term Web Posted | Last Updated Fri, 06 May 2005 08:00:18 EDT Giant Dwarf Posted: May 6th, 2005
LONDON - Prime Minister Tony Blair has become the first Labour leader to win three consecutive terms as British voters returned his party to power with a dramatically reduced majority. Blair, who spoke after returning from Buckingham Palace where the Queen asked him to form a new government, called his historic win a "tremendous honour and privilege." "I've listened and I've learned," said Blair, who turned 52 on Friday. "I think I have a very clear idea of what the British people expect for a third term." Blair promised to focus on strengthening the economy, helping low-income families, and to invest in health, education and science. "The government will focus relentlessly on the priorities people have set." Conservative Leader Michael Howard said Friday he would be stepping down as soon as his party selects a new leader. Howard, 63, said he would be "too old" to lead the party into the next election and would rather leave sooner than later. Iraq hurt my support: Blair Earlier in the day, Blair acknowledged controversy over Britain's role in the U.S.-led war on Iraq took a toll on his support. "Iraq has been a divisive issue in this country but I hope now that we can unite again and look to the future, there and here," he said. With 622 of the 646 seats in the House of Commons reporting, Labour had 353, the Conservatives had 196 and the Liberal Democrats had 61. To form a majority, a party needs 324 seats. "It seems as if it is clear ... that the British people wanted the return of a Labour government but with a reduced majority," Blair said after being returned to his seat in Sedgefield in northern England. "And we have to respond to that sensibly and wisely and responsibly." Prime Minister Paul Martin offered Blair his congratulations in a statement issued early Friday morning. "The U.K. is an important partner for Canada in international forums, and I look forward to continuing to work with Prime Minister Blair on the pressing issues of our times," said Martin. Blair has weathered heavy criticism not only from the public but from some longtime Labour loyalists over the war and centrist stands on the domestic front. Howard congratulated Blair on his win, but the Conservatives had some victories of their own to celebrate. Among them, they ousted Education Minister Stephen Twigg and snatched seats from both Labour and the Liberal Democrats. Written by CBC News Online staff
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Guité alleges Martin link to scandal Web Posted | Last Updated Thu, 05 May 2005 07:29:32 EDT Giant Dwarf Posted: May 5th, 2005 MONTREAL - Chuck Guité has alleged a link between Paul Martin and an aspect of the sponsorship program, as well as pointing the finger at Jean Chrétien's office and the former public works minister. Guité, the former bureaucrat in charge of the federal sponsorship program, testified he was told third-hand that Martin – then finance minister – backed a plan guaranteeing federal government business for a Liberal-friendly Toronto ad firm. Martin has categorically denied ever getting involved or speaking with Alfonso Gagliano – then public works minister – about the contract. The allegation was one of a number of revelations coming from Guité's five days of testimony in front of the Gomery inquiry. A publication ban was lifted Wednesday.	Chuck Guité during a break in his last day of testimony before the Gomery commission.
But some significant parts of his testimony differed from a previous time he appeared under oath before the inquiry. The retired bureaucrat, who once described himself as a general in the war to save Canada, now claims he was merely a pawn – in a campaign to reward Liberal friends through advertising contracts. Guité said Martin's alleged involvement came about when Guité lobbied Gagliano in March 2000 on behalf of Vickers and Benson. The Toronto-based ad firm wanted guarantees it would keep all its government business if it was sold. Guité, who had retired from public service at that time and was a consultant, claimed Gagliano promised he'd consult with cabinet colleagues whose departments were responsible for the firms' contracts: Martin and John Manley, then industry minister. Guité said he received word from Gagliano's office that Gagliano "had spoken to both ministers and the volume of business would be maintained." Conversations never happened, say Martin, Manley Both Manley and Martin have flatly denied that they were ever involved in the process or spoke with Gagliano about the contract. "There was never a discussion between Mr. Martin and Mr. Gagliano with respect to ensuring that any individual supplier receive contracts from the government of Canada," a Martin spokesman, Scott Reid, told the Canadian Press. "The prime minister never involved himself in the contracting process, never involved himself in the determination of contract awards. Period." Manley issued a statement late Wednesday, saying: "I want to state categorically that I did not have this conversation with Mr. Gagliano." He also said he was creating the Canadian Tourism Commission at the time, which would have autonomous control over advertising. "In other words, it would have been impossible to make the commitment Mr. Gagliano is said to have been seeking."
Sponsorship program '150% politically driven': Guité During his testimony, Guité said the ill-fated sponsorship program was "politically driven" from the start to reward Liberal-friendly ad firms that ran the party's Quebec campaign. Guité also said the rules were loosely defined to give flexibility to ministers to pick the firms they wanted to hire. Gagliano and Jean Pelletier, Chrétien's chief of staff, made extensive use of those flexible rules, he said. The system "was 150 per cent politically driven," Guité told the inquiry. Under cross-examination, Guité repeated that he did not act alone, and that he took direction from Pelletier and Gagliano, his political masters. "Nobody was involved in the sponsorship, it was all Chuck Guité? I'm sorry, it wasn't," he told Pierre Fournier, Gagliano's lawyer. Guité admitted he could not, at times, remember dates. But he said he had a clear recollection of events where Pelletier and Gagliano intervened to steer contracts to Liberal-friendly ad firms. This was Guité's second appearance before the inquiry and at times he appeared to contradict his earlier testimony. In November 2004, he was adamant that while Liberal politicians and their staff meddled in sponsorships, they never got involved in the selection of ad firms. This time, Guité gave what he said were specific examples of political meddling. He said rules for advertising and sponsorship were tweaked in 1993 when the Liberals came into power, to benefit Liberal-friendly advertising firms.
Under the so-called "10 per cent rule," the minister could pick a firm that came in second on a contract bid as long as it came within 10 per cent of the winning bid. Bids were judged on a complicated set of criteria that didn't necessarily include how much the company would bill the government. Bids on sponsorship and advertising were also limited to firms that were 100 per cent Canadian-owned, a strategy designed to benefit Liberal firms, Guité said. BCP Guité said Jean Pelletier intervened in 1994 to give millions to BCP, a big Montreal firm that held the bulk of the advertising contracts for federal Liberal campaigns in Quebec. In one case, BCP fell short in its bid for a $60-million Tourism Canada contract. The contract went to another ad firm, Vickers and Benson. But Guité said the decision was quickly overturned after the Prime Minister's Office got a call from Yves Gougoux, the head of BCP. "Yves Gougoux from BCP went ballistic and phoned the PMO and they changed it. Is that political influence?" asked Fournier. "I think so," Guité answered. BCP denied the allegations, which appeared to contradict Guité's previous testimony. Guité also offered what he said was an example of how Gagliano intervened in the sponsorship program. In 1997, Guité alleged that Gagliano was the one who yanked the sponsorship contract to manage Polygone's fishing and hunting shows from Groupe Everest and gave it to Groupaction. Asked why Everest was "dumped" and "replaced" by Groupaction, Guité replied that the decision was made "when we went through the list with the minister to do that." "The minister would decide who got what," Guité told the inquiry. Written by CBC News Online staff
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'I thought I was dead,' says bear attack victim Web Posted | Last Updated Wed, 04 May 2005 07:51:48 EDT Giant Dwarf Posted: May 4th, 2005 REGINA - A Saskatchewan man who was attacked and mauled by a black bear over the weekend managed to escape and drive himself home. "It was a pretty big bear," said John Rudachyk, 32, who's recovering in a Regina hospital with a mangled foot, broken bones, cuts, scratches and bruises.	John Rudachyk
"I thought I was dead. I thought that was the end of my life and all I could do was try to fight, stay alive or whatever." The attack happened Sunday when Rudachyk was looking for deer horns in the woods near his home in Norquay, about 290 kilometres northeast of Regina. Rudachyk thinks he might have startled the bear, which appeared suddenly out of thick bush. "He was snorting and grunting and he was coming right at me," he said. The bear charged him four times in all. Rudachyk climbed a poplar tree but the bear came after him. He kicked it in the nose, causing it to retreat. But the bear came back and bit on Rudachyk's heel. Then the bear flung him into a spruce tree. When he hit the ground, Rudachyk was briefly knocked out, but upon regaining consciousness he was able to crawl to his car about 700 metres away. "I couldn't even turn and look back, because I figured if he was going to come after me, I didn't want to know. I was that scared." Despite excruciating pain, he managed to drive himself home. "I don't know," he said. "God must have been on my side." Rudachyk's brother called for an ambulance to take him to hospital. His recovery is expected to take months. Conservation officers are looking for the bear. Conservation officer Doug Lucyshyn says black bears are primarily scavengers and rarely attack humans. "You have a much better chance of being in a car accident or being killed by a bee sting than ever being attacked by a black bear," he said. Written by CBC News Online staff
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Lawyers, police meet to plan Homolka strategy Web Posted | Last Updated Tue, 03 May 2005 07:55:01 EDT Giant Dwarf Posted: May 3rd, 2005
JOLIETTE, QUE. - Crown prosecutors and police from Quebec and Ontario are trying to figure out how to restrict Karla Homolka's activities when the convicted killer gets out of prison this summer. The group met behind closed doors Monday at the courthouse in Joliette, Que., the same town where she is being detained. Brian Eckhardt, a Niagara Regional Police inspector, said the group is confident a Quebec judge will grant the restrictions under Section 810 of the Criminal Code, and that Homolka and her lawyer will agree to them. That section could let a court limit where Homolka goes and who she can talk to, out of concern for public safety. Homolka has not yet said where she will live once she's released, but Eckhardt said the public will find out when the government lawyers go to court to ask that restrictions be imposed. String of crimes goes back to 1990 Ontario's attorney general has argued that Homolka is still a threat to society, 15 years after she began to carry out vicious sex crimes in Ontario with Paul Bernardo, now her ex-husband. Their first victim was Homolka's 14-year-old sister, Tammy, who choked to death in December 1990 after the pair drugged and raped her. In 1991, two weeks before the couple married, Bernardo kidnapped Ontario schoolgirl Leslie Mahaffy. He and Homolka raped and killed the 14-year-old. Schoolgirl Kristen French, 15, was grabbed a year later. She was tortured and raped before her body was left in a ditch. Homolka received a sentence of only 12 years after agreeing to testify against Bernardo in a controversial plea bargain. Bernardo has been declared a dangerous offender and is in custody at Kingston Penitentiary. Homolka's official release date from federal custody is July 5, but she could get out as early as June 24. Restrictions could be unconstitutional: lawyer Quebec constitutional lawyer Julius Grey says Section 810 of the Criminal Code is seldom used on someone who has served her entire sentence. He said the Crown would be within its rights to ask that Homolka be kept away from minors and other known sex offenders, given the details of her past crimes. But Grey said it would be unconstitutional for the court to impose restrictions that would limit her right to privacy or mobility, or her ability to get a job. "There cannot be something so broad that you're really telling her that she can't earn a living, she can't have a private life, she's free but she's not free," he said. "In other words, you can't impose conditions such that she will actually have no choice but to return to prison." Written by CBC News Online staff
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Liberals pull minister home from Europe Web Posted | Last Updated Mon, 02 May 2005 07:17:52 EDT Giant Dwarf Posted: May 2nd, 2005
OTTAWA - The federal Liberals have called Minister of Veterans Affairs Albina Guarnieri back to Canada, just one day after she arrived in Holland for ceremonies leading up to the 60th anniversary of VE-Day. The Liberals will need her vote in the House of Commons if one of the opposition parties launches an effort to defeat Prime Minister Paul Martin's minority government when Parliament resumes Monday after a weeklong break. Guarnieri is travelling back to Canada Monday with NDP MP Peter Stoffer from Nova Scotia, who was also called home to be present in the House of Commons. The move leaves no federally elected politicians marking this week's commemorations of the end of the Second World War in Europe. The Conservative party and Bloc Québécois had declined to send any MPs to the VE-Day events. Guarnieri was supposed to make speeches Tuesday and Wednesday at two Canadian war cemeteries. She will be replaced by Senator Art Eggleton, a former minister of defence in Jean Chrétien's Liberal government. Gov. Gen. Adrienne Clarkson is also representing Canada at ceremonies in Europe this week. Guarnieri hopes to be able to return to Holland for the parade of veterans next Sunday, which is the actual anniversary of VE-Day. Written by CBC News Online staff
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N.S. tries a smart way to limit gambling Web Posted | Last Updated Sun, 01 May 2005 01:23:16 EDT Giant Dwarf Posted: May 1st, 2005
WINDSOR, N.S. - Gamblers in one Nova Scotia city have a smart new tool to help themselves from going wild on lottery machines. In an experiment to address the issue of problem gambling, every video lottery terminal in every bar and legion hall in Windsor has been modified to allow a new "smart card" to pay a gambler's bills. "It can watch how much money you spend daily, weekly, monthly or yearly," one gambler explained as she fed her credit-card-sized device into a VLT. "If you don't want to spend over $20 per day, or per week, or per month, you can set it up so that if you're using your card, you cannot use this." The smart-card program is voluntary now – part of the provincial government's strategy to address gambling addiction. But by the fall, people who want to spend money at a VLT in Windsor will have no choice but to use a smart card. And if the program succeeds, it could be rolled out across Nova Scotia next year. Windsor bar managers such as Richard Cole think the approach is a good one. "We'd rather see them come in two or three times a week and play responsibly with a small amount of money so that they come back and enjoy the services again the next week," Cole told CBC News reporter Tom Murphy. But some critics, such as Liberal MLA Manning MacDonald, think the smart card is a dumb idea. MacDonald calls VLTs "the crack cocaine of gaming" and says there is only one solution to the gambling problem. "What we have to do is get those machines out of the province." Written by CBC News Online staff